Everton banter 40963

 

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26 Dec 2017 23:28:14
While the last result against Chelsea was the good of what Allardyce offers, today was indeed the bad. West Brom haven't won since August, are adapting to a new manager themselves and have a squad more befitting of the Championship than the Premier League. This is a team that have been beaten by Stoke and Swansea recently.

While being shockingly poor themselves today, they still outplayed us and created far more opportunities to score. If I was a West Brom fan I would be disappointed in not winning as they were the only team trying to win and in all fairness should have won.

Against a very poor team lacking in any real threat we set up with a back 5 and still adopted a long ball game. Setting up to be hard to beat and trying not to lose against the top 6 is sensible (and what Allardyce excels at) , doing it against one of the worst teams in the league, even with our relatively fragile confidence, is unambitious in the extreme, screams of a small club mentality and is just not good enough.

Yes we are still unbeaten under Allardyce and it is another point gained but it felt like Allardyce was more concerned about keeping an unbeaten run on his CV than he was in actually trying to win the game. That is the attitude of a manager trying to keep a poor team in the division, not a manager looking up the table and trying to build something special.

It is the attitude of a manager trying to surf the wave of the new manager "bump" for as long as he can before reality kicks in and his poor team scrap against the other poor teams for survival. As bad as this season has been, that isn't the position he is in and he shouldn't revert to type and act like it is.

More disappointing than his negative approach to the game setup was his continued lack of ambition throughout it. Bolasie and Calvert-Lewin being substituted had far more to do with their fitness/ tiredness levels than it did with tactics but going like for like and bringing on Niasse and Lennon actually made us a more defensive team! Baningime for Davies is another like for like which again made us slightly more defensive.

Not changing the tactical approach when we haven't managed an attempt on target against a really poor team is not acceptable and doesn't scream "innovative manager" that Allardyce keeps assuring us he is. Trying to win the game but failing happens to every team but it is very different from playing for a draw the whole time. This wasn't acceptable.

Against a very poor team that lacks pace and creativity we finished with 5 defenders, 2 defensive midfielders and Lennon who is at best a defensive minded winger. 8 of the 10 outfield players defensively minded!

Yes Allardyce needs time and I am certainly not wanting him gone but he should not be given a free pass on how he approached today's game and the abysmal performance that ensued. We shouldn't be happy to chalk it up to a "work in progress" in a desperate attempt to convince ourselves today was something positive. 1 strike on target in the 89th minute against a team who are likely to be relegated is simply not good enough, not now, not ever.

Despite not wanting him to be appointed manager I have been impressed with Allardyce in the games prior to today and he has slowly been winning me over. That said, he has to be more than the "it does what it says on the tin" that his reputation says he is if he is to be our long term answer. To do that he has to try to be more than what he has been with other clubs, today he didn't try and that is what disappoints me most.

Today it felt like Allardyce was still acting like he was trying to save a bad team from relegation and had no confidence in his teams ability. It felt like despite his words he hasn't quite grasped what is expected and required when we play a team who is second from bottom and hasn't won since August.

It felt like despite him telling us he is an innovative manager because he used analytics and sport science when many others didn't 20 years ago that he isn't actually that innovative or flexible anymore and that the game has moved on without him. At half time the Echo reposted a tweet on their live feed that said "A dreadful half of football. Walking with managerial dinosaurs".

A couple more performances like that against the bottom half teams and it will make it impossible for Allardyce to shed the image he is so adamant is unfair. It will make it impossible for him to keep his job past the summer.

I so desperately want to be proved wrong but I can't shake the feeling that the tweet is spot on and in the summer we will know Allardyce can't deliver what we need and we will be thanking him for steadying the ship and having to start again with someone new.

Only time will tell whether Allardyce is more than what we saw today. He must be given the time to show he can be the long term answer but we can not and must not accept what we saw today or indeed attribute it to anything other than a direct result of the way in which Allardyce approached the game.

Let's hope that my disgust at today's match is merely bringing out all my worries about Allardyce which in the long run will prove unfounded.

Let's hope this was a merely a bump in the road of progress and that Allardyce will learn from this and be more ambitious and expansive against teams that are obviously weaker than us in the future.

Let's hope that 2018 gives us a new Allardyce that noone has seen yet, one that can still be organised and hard to beat when we face the best but is ambitious, flexible and innovative enough to create something that is more than that when we play everyone else.

I will accept some poor performances here and there. I will accept some poor results here and there. I will never accept lack of effort or games when I am embarrassed to be a fan of the team I am watching! Today I was embarrassed. let's hope 2018 doesn't give us any more repeats of what we saw today.

Agree5 Disagree9

27 Dec 2017 00:02:50
I have never rated SA as anything other than a big boot up the pitch manager. We panicked in my opinion and all we needed was a manager who could rejuvenate players who had lost their way and continue our progress. Now we gave gone backwards. So we don't let in goals anymore, but we are dropping points we should not be doing. The sooner he, his team, and Walsh go the better for me. I certainly would not let him buy any players as they won't be able to play at the level our ambitious owner wants us to be at. If as I suspect we are safe by next Feb / March then start the process for a new manager then.

27 Dec 2017 00:49:04
I didn't want Allardyce but now that we have him he should be given every opportunity and sufficient time to show that he can be our long term answer. There are as many positive surprises in football as there are negative and you never know he may prove to be a positive one in the long run.

I think to some extent he will need to learn in the job as he has never really been in this position before. If he can adapt and innovate himself while still holding on to some of his strengths then he might turn out to be good for us. If he just rolls out the "Big Sam blueprint" then he will steady the ship for us this season and be gone in the summer, exposed as a manager who has had his time and has been left behind by the leading lights of the game. I hope he can surprise us and be the manager we have be searching for for so long otherwise it will be another wasted year, time will tell.

27 Dec 2017 08:11:12
Toffebuds get real over the Everton situation just because we have climbed the table doesn’t make us any better than the teams below us,
Before Allardyce arrived we were the worst team in the premiership bar none and In my opinion that still stands.
allardyce and his coaches have worked a miracle with this squad. Everyone associated with club should be impressed by this transformation in the results but those results have been achieved by a tactical system not by being the better team on the day or even a good team on the day.
I have been saying all season that this squad is what it is, basically not good enough at this level.
This squad nearly broke the heart of David Unsworth and now we can only hope that in January window Allardyce can bring in some proven quality.
For me, I am of the opinion that if it wasn’t for Allardyce, Lee and Shakespear it would be Everton going into the New Year bottom of the Premiership.

27 Dec 2017 08:53:57
I agree with everything you've said Toffee.

I'm hoping that he can prove me wrong. I don't care about managers or players. Who I like doesn't matter. What does matter is playing exciting winning football.

For me Sam is Moyes Version 2.0. It's like the board have tried a couple of attack minded managers then thought no I don't like that let's go back to type. You don't get that from any of the big clubs with ambition.

Chelsea didn't get rid of Mourinho and call big Sam, Liverpool didn't give Pulis a holla and spurs didn't call out the fire brigade and get a Dyche. The only club that did was United and got Moyes. Well that didn't work out too well.

However, maybe this is our problem as Everton supporters. Its our grandiose belief that we are a top club. Maybe we arent. I think i'm starting to realise like some others on here that we aren't that big club anymore and a point a one shot on target is a good result and performance against WBA.

I'm lucky to remember the days of when we played good football and were the fear of all the teams in England. For some they are just used to mid to lower table mediocrity. Probably why they are happier now with Big Sam.

I said the other day that the Liverpool and Chelsea games were two of the worst attacking performances in 43 years I've seen. Now I can add this one. I hope and pray that its the last I add to the collection.

For Big Sam let's see if he is the manager now who can make me feel like the Evertonian of old. The Evertonian who dreamed of winning trophies and beating anyone in front of us. I'd even settle of dreaming to get a few shots on target at the minute!

He's got a lot of good attributes Sam. He talks sense, has good people around him and is arrogant enough to handle the pressure. We just need to see him show he can create an exciting team to watch every week and get results doing it.

{Ed025's Note - a very good post that john..

27 Dec 2017 08:54:51
Got to agree with Uran, sitting in the ground earlier this season it's the worst I had seen in 50 years. Not one bit of organisation at all and as for all we needed was anyone to rejuvenate players do we think Silva would have done any better, I think we would have been in same situation and that's because our players are simply not good enough.
If we get a few players in and nothing changes in a few months or next season then yes I will be moaning too but for now I am living in the real world.

27 Dec 2017 10:05:45
I really don't get these posts. Surely our last 6 results have been of paramount importance. 6 games ago we were 4th from bottom. We were conceding 3/ 4/ 5 per game and not scoring a single goal. Confidence was more than torn to shreds. We had a fixture list including the reds away, Chelsea at home. and this was after losing to Southampton 4-1 and Atalanta 5-1. We lost at home to Burnley. To arsenal 2-5. Man Utd and Spurs 3 nil and 4 nil. We have won 4 and drawn 3 of our last 7 games. Yes it has not been pretty, but needs must. Would you rather us play open expansive football and continue the losing streak we were in? Because believe me, when a team is in that downwards spiral, it is very difficult to get out of. Players don't want the ball. Players are afraid to pass forwards. Players "hide" on the pitch. They do not "show" for the ball. I honestly expected us to be in the bottom 3 now. So my hat is off to Allardyce and whilst he secures our precious Premier League position, I have every confidence that we will look at the positions that need strengthening. We all know we need a left back. We all know we need a center forward. We all know we need another center back. During this period, we are playing with kids. They are gaining experience and winning and drawing games. Yes it is not pretty. but it is Premier League.

27 Dec 2017 11:23:43
It's not about open expansive football. It's about any kind of football.

You don't get to gain confidence on the ball and help develop your attacking play if you are smacking it as hard as you can for 90 minutes. This type of football we are playjng does not help you develop your game.

We are not in the bottom three. We are ninth. Now is the time to develop our football. In Unsworth last game we won 4 nil playing with the ball. It carried on for couple of games after that. However, we are now playing the long ball for 90 minutes. WHY?

There's plenty of positives in our defensive performances but that is because we don't have anything to talk about up front. And it's nothing to do with having no striker or whatever. There's plenty of attacking talent in this team.

All we're saying here is WE don't want this to be who we are. Just a lump it up the field tough to beat side. That's not Everton.

Sam has to get this team attacking and using the ball properly. Otherwise why is he here and why go to watch a team playing that type of football?

27 Dec 2017 11:52:43
Blue he’s only been at the club for how long? He hasn’t even had chance to see a transfer window. We don’t even know if the clubs plan is to let him see out the 18 month contract. For me, if he is in charge next season, the start of that season will be when we should see real change and if SA can offer more to us than just defensive football. He has said he would like N’Zonzi but has too many in that area, which tells me he don’t think much of the players there but has more important areas to address, seems he will look to overhaul a lot of the senior squad around our blossoming youth.

27 Dec 2017 11:53:30
BJU, far be it from me to advocate hoof it football. I have had some real "banter" on here trying to explain how English football lags behind the world due to our hoof it culture. My point is not that we should not be trying to play football. my point is that it is a needs must at this moment in time. People are talking like the answer has been found and we are now a top 10 side who can suddenly play a different type of football all open and expansive and aim upwards. My point is that we were only 6 games ago looking like a terribly weak side conceding goals and losing. It would be really easy to have another losing streak of say 7 or 8 games by trying suddenly to open up and be something that we are clearly not! Maybe if we sign a couple of players, I would agree. Right now Allardyce has forged a very boring team that is grinding out results. We are climbing the table. Players may want to sign for us now. they sure wouldn't if we were in the Championship. I believe that some people don't realise how bad we were/ are and without Rooney's goals would be in a terrible situation. Add the goals we were conceding by playing an "open" game and we were destined to drop a league. Look at Allardyce as someone who has stopped the rot. In 18 months time moan about his football when he has signed a couple of his own players and had some time to forge a team. Right now he has done a great job stopping the rot. and I firmly believe we had rot! That is where I was coming from. Happy Christmas to all my Blue mates on here and a prosperous new year.

27 Dec 2017 13:08:08
Hes here now, if nothing else he has made us solid and hard to beat, we have low options up front, let's see what he can do in jan window,
he has always had to use bargain basement, let's give him a chance and see who he can bring in, then judge him.

27 Dec 2017 13:08:10
Defeat I agree with what you are saying when we play the better sides and I would accept given the start of the season we have had of even accepting it against the average sides but playing with 8 defensive minded players out of 10 outfield players against one of the worst teams in the league is too much. Allardyce has done a great job in the first few games and I love the organisation and effort being shown now but yesterday was a missed opportunity and was the embodiment of outdated football. If we had been playing someone like Watford, Burnley, Leicester, etc then fair enough, be tight, be hard to beat, keep generating momentum. Being outplayed by a team as poor as West Brom are at the moment has nothing to do with the quality of players (we have better players in nearly every position) , it is the system and style of football that is to blame. As I said earlier I hope it is a bump in the road on the way to something better.

27 Dec 2017 14:08:42
@Toffeebuds, there's just no pleasing some people is there. Big Sam has had a handful of games and we have stormed up the league. It may not be attractive but it is effective. I absolutely hate posts like yours that offer nothing but criticism and already want a regime change. Just a pathetic attitude all around from you!

27 Dec 2017 15:05:47
Well like I said in my earlier post. Some of us see it another way. Big Sam has in my view stabilised us for half a dozen games. We could easily get a few more injuries and/ or suspensions and go on another losing streak by giving teams like WBA no respect. The way some people talk about this league, you would think teams like West Ham and West Brom etc are terrible. Remember they drew at Anfield 2 weeks ago. They drew at Spurs. They drew at Leicester. Would it surprise you if I told you theey had only lost 2 more Premier League games than us? Their problem is that they haave drawwn so many. Thet were absolutely desperate for a win against us and battled hard all through. I think you are being a little bit too simplistic all round. I would sum up by saying: 1.Give the manager a chance to sign players and forge his own team. 2. Everton are not as good as you seem to think (yet) . 3. WBA are not as bad as you think. The one thing we all agree on though is. we are awful to watch and it cannot be a long term answer.

27 Dec 2017 08:02:21
There wasn’t a lot of creative spark available to him that I would be confident in picking to win the game to be honest.

It’s a very good post but I need to be fair and would rather look to see how he improves the squad this January.

A decent target man who has goals and that would get more out of Siggi. DCL is still learning and needs to be more killer. But it will be hard to find one so a gamble on an untried striker for the prem looks likely.

I’m not sure what to do with Barkley but don’t really see him as the answer either. He was inconsistent before his injury so will not have improved there whilst being out.

So yes it’s painfull to watch and we should be beating them and others like them. But I think a few signings in January will tell us if he is capable of changing from the style he is identified by.

27 Dec 2017 17:36:37
WorcesterEFC,

An ignorant and ill informed reply from you. Try reading what I have said before resulting to personal attacks. I have never said I want a regime change. I have repeatedly said I want him to have the time to show what he can deliver. I have also said I desperately want him to succeed and that only time will tell if he does or not.

I have also said numerous times in various posts that I have been impressed by him for what he has said since taking the job, for the team he has brought in around him and the positive changes we have seen in the first few games of his tenure. I have said repeated times in various posts that he has been winning me over.

The results against Liverpool and Chelsea were very good and there is no way we would have got those without the organisation and approach Allardyce has instilled in the team. That has been hugely welcome and is 100% the good of what Allardyce has always offered wherever he has been.

We have been building steadily and have generated some momentum and started to develop in confidence, again mostly due to Allardyce but let's not forget one of the performances of the season and the spark to our recent run was the hammering of West Ham under Unsworth so he should also take some credit in the turn around. It was his period in charge that was the really difficult period of inheriting the mess Koeman left and then handing over something that has potential.

That isn't taking away from what Allardyce has achieved since then which has been very good but it does seem to have been lost in the perceived wisdom in the national press that 100% of the turn around is due to Allardyce.

Our recent run has indeed brought us some welcome results, much needed points and an improved league position. It has been very refreshing to see a team who are organised, work hard and are difficult to beat. Again I have said I have been impressed by this and give credit to Allardyce for what he has achieved so far. I don't have any issues with anything that he has done up until yesterday.

What I have said here is not a call for him to be sacked and is not a statement saying I hate everything about Allardyce. I have said that this game against a very poor team wasn't good enough. It wasn't good enough not because the players played poorly but because we failed to show any ambition against one of the worst sides in the division. That fault lies firmly with the manager. West Brom are a team that has had a new manager for the same sort of time we have, a side that hasn't won since August, a side with worse players than us and a side that has recently been beaten by some very poor teams who are going through their own difficulties.

The reason why we failed to get more than one shot on target during the game is not because of an unbalanced squad, it is not because we have poor players, it is not because Allardyce hasn't been here long, it is because the plan was to play for a draw and hope for a win. My issue is with a lack of ambition in yesterday's game not with the things we have seen from Allardyce before that.

Yesterday and the next game against Bournemouth was/ is the perfect opportunity to show just a little ambition. We showed zero ambition, we set up for a draw, we played for a draw and we made changes in the game to try and safeguard a draw. Against the top sides that is sensible, against the average sides it is playing it safe (but understandable with the season we have had so far) , against a team going through the difficulties that West Brom are at the moment it is unambitious and short sighted. Hopefully it is not an indication of a too rigid footballing philosophy.

The next 3 games after Bournemouth are Man Utd, Liverpool and Spurs. If Allardyce approaches those games in exactly the same way as the recent Liverpool and Chelsea games (and yesterday's game) I won't have an issue with it and would probably do the same if I was in his position. If he can get 3 draws from those games (not sure if the cup game goes to reply or gets decided on the day) then that would be fantastic to see and an amazing achievement. I would be happy to get through in the cup and lose the other 2 without registering a shot on target in either game!

Perhaps the only mitigating factor for what we saw yesterday was that we were away and we have been truly awful away from home for a very long time. I would accept I didn't factor that into my original post and I should have (not that you raised that as a logical argument instead just resorting to a personal attack) . It probably did influence the way Allardyce approached the game and the confidence he had in his team.

Towards the end of January we have West Brom again, this time at home. I will be extremely disappointed if we approach that game aiming for a draw and finish it with the vast majority of the team defensive players while we have more offensive options sat watching. That for me would be a worrying sign for the future. Certainly not enough for me to form an opinion on Allardyce's long term suitability as it would still be far too early, but worrying nonetheless.

I will say it again for you clearly so you don't read things that are not here. It is not the quality of the attacking effectiveness that we should expect to change quickly, that will take time. There will be some bad performances along the way where things just don't work. There will also be some disappointing results along the way. That doesn't make Allardyce a bad manager or justify calling for him to be sacked. What I don't feel is justified is a complete lack of ambition when we have the opportunity to try and win a game against a very poor team who are in a very bad run of form and, no matter our season so far, we are better than in most areas across the pitch.

I am happy to read posts with people who disagree and put forward good arguments why I am wrong. I fully accept that every fan has different opinions about style, approach, priorities, personalities, quality, etc. and that my opinions are no more valid than anyone elses. What I don't accept is people like you firstly telling me I have a pathetic attitude because I dare to be critical about what I have seen and secondly criticising me for saying things I have not said.

27 Dec 2017 17:48:09
Degsyp,

Fair points and perhaps I am being too harsh on WBA and a little optimistic on how good our players are. That said there is only probably Gibbs and Barry who I would take in our lineup yesterday.

I too am still looking to see how we improve in the coming months before making my mind up.

The original post was about the game yesterday and what I saw. I still think it was far too unambitious going into a game against WBA with a more defensive set up than we took to Anfield. Every team deserves respect but that didn't look like respect to me, it looked like rigidly carrying on where we left off against Chelsea.

27 Dec 2017 18:33:08
Toffeee bud what makes you think that we have a better team than West BROMWICH.

27 Dec 2017 19:39:47
@ Toffeebuds

Big Sam inherited without doubt the worst team in the premiership. We still have the same players playing, no one new has joined. The only things that have changed is how we now play with those same players.

Our present run has got nothing to do with what DU did or did not do whilst in charge, It is ALL down to the work Sam and his team have put in.

You keep saying the same thing after every game regardless of who we play, and it has reached the point where it is beyond tiresome they have become boring.

27 Dec 2017 19:39:47
@ Toffeebuds

Big Sam inherited without doubt the worst team in the premiership. We still have the same players playing, no one new has joined. The only things that have changed is how we now play with those same players.

Our present run has got nothing to do with what DU did or did not do whilst in charge, It is ALL down to the work Sam and his team have put in.

You keep saying the same thing after every game regardless of who we play, and it has reached the point where it is beyond tiresome they have become boring.

27 Dec 2017 21:18:01
Grumpy that is utter rubbish. It is a quality team at Everton with additions still needed granted but worst in the EPL? You need to choose another sport mate because you clearly haven't got a clue about football!

27 Dec 2017 21:30:16
Everton football club needs a major overhaul end of, SA was bought in to keep us up and will be given time to see if he can take us forward.
We have to many players that are from Moyes era and have not progressed under any of the managers that have since replaced him and I could believe they could be a negative influence in the changing room.
The past two managers have been nothing more than one season wonders and have saddled the club with several poor signings.
The next appointment must be carefully reasearched and the board must be sure that whoever comes in can be given funds and time to rebuild.

27 Dec 2017 21:40:19
Moyes was rubbish after he left us but not at Utd. Look at the Stats, I believe his win ratio was second only to Sir Alex. An awful lot of otherwise intelligent people tend to believe what they read in the media, quite often written by reporters that submit their narrative on heresay, these people (media) operate under pressure, I have been there and seen it. I have been approached (not Goodison) and asked for my take on the game and seen that quote in print in a National, there are many supporters I am sure that have had similar experiences. I can only reitterate, 8 games unbeaten with the same bunch of players that earlier in the season have been awful, the reason is obvious.

27 Dec 2017 22:14:16
Grumpytoffee,

In fairness I have only made posts on this site in the last few days and this match is the only one I have specifically commented on. So I am not sure how you have got bored of my posts after every match.

As I said before I think we have plenty of decent players who have been playing badly as a team this year. I know plenty of people disagree and there is nothing wrong with us disagreeing on the standard of players.

And I have also said repeatedly we have got good results in the games since Allardyce took over largely due to what he has instilled in the team and he deserves a lot of credit for that.

I am not a Sam hater and want him to succeed. I just hated what I saw yesterday. There is more to this than whether you are pro or anti Big Sam. It is actually possible to be critical of some things and be supportive of others and all while still wanting Allardyce to succeed.

27 Dec 2017 22:15:09
BJU,

If we were not the worst team when Sam took us over why were we losing so many games?

When Sam took us over we were absolute pants regularly letting in 3 or more goals per game and not scoring any, in fact we had the dubious honour of having the worst defence in the premiership at one stage, to me that does not sound like a squad of good players.

Big Sam will draw the quality back out of the players we have but he needs time. We had no quality what's so ever on show before he came. People will see next season when his contract gets extended just how good he and his management team are.

Personally I think Moshri should just extend it now. Give him a 5 year contract as soon as possible.

27 Dec 2017 22:44:29
You mean extend his contract when there is no need to, kind of like we did with Martinez? That didn't work out so well.

The board should give Allardyce time to show he can be the long term solution and when they believe that they have their answer one way or another they can then either extend his contract or look for someone else.

27 Dec 2017 23:22:35
Thank God for that. I thought you were a blue grumpy. But you're a red just taking the micky out of us! You cheeky so and so.

28 Dec 2017 01:17:47
Uran,

Second time at trying to answer your question as the page crashed when I was still trying to type. You asked why I think we have a better team than WBA.

Just my opinion but the first way I look at it is who in the WBA team did I look at and think I wish he played for us. Not many. The second is how many of the WBA team would I want Everton trying to buy in January to make us a better team, again not many.

I would say Gibbs is a natural left back so I would probably take him over Martina, Barry and Scheiderlein is a toss up for me although I much prefer Barry's attitude. Evans probably makes us a better team if he was in our squad but he is their best centre back so comparing him against our best would you take him over Holgate or Keane? Probably on current form but maybe not in the long run? A difficult choice. So at best I would say there is an argument for 3 of their players being better alternatives than we had in the game yesterday. That leaves 8 of ours who I think are better than theirs.

I think that same trend generally extends to the bench and the wider squad we have.

I think there are problems with our squad. Inbalance and glaring gaps, some players on the decline, some players out of form, some players yet to adapt to the Premier League and some players with more potential than consistent quality at the moment. I believe we have a poorly constructed squad which makes it difficult for a manager to find the right blend but I don't believe we have a squad full of bad players.

I think with the significant progress Allardyce has made in the games leading up to West Brom regarding our organisation and defensive solidity, the fact that we had generally better players, the fact that they are struggling to adapt to a new manager just as we are and the fact that they haven't won since August and have recently been beaten by Stoke and Swansea, I really think we had an opportunity to try and win the game and that we should have at least tried to do that. The reason I was so angry at yesterday's game was because we didn't have the courage to set up in a way that meant we were trying to win. We started aiming for a draw and made changes to ensure a draw during the match. That was perfect against Liverpool and Chelsea and those were wonderful results. It isn't good enough against second from bottom.

The criticism of yesterdays game doesn't change the fact I am really happy with the progress under Allardyce in the games before WBA. It doesn't mean I wouldn't fully support the same ultra defensive approach against Man Utd, Liverpool and Tottenham in the coming weeks and it certainly doesn't mean that I am not desparately hoping Allardyce succeeds.

I will continue to criticise Allardyce when I think he deserves it and praise him when I think he deserves praise, all the time hoping he becomes an Everton legend because he has delivered some silverware. Despite what some of the posters above seem to think (this isn't directed at you) it is possible to criticise in some areas/ occassions while believing that other areas/ occassions are positive. It also doesn't mean I actually want Allardyce to fail just because I think he got it horribly wrong in 1 match.







 

 

 
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